The Best Reusable Food Wraps to Replace Plastic Wrap

It is so important that we all work to reduce our carbon footprints, especially by using less disposable plastic products. Plastics pollute the land, sea, and air. Manufacturers also make most plastics with petroleum and other toxic elements, making them dangerous to use on food. Cutting back on plastic wrap is an excellent step in the right direction for both your family’s health and that of the planet. But how can you do it?

Multiple companies are making reusable alternatives to plastic wrap. One of the best is reusable food wraps made from beeswax and other natural materials. In this article, we’ll look at our five favorite brands and types of beeswax food wrap. Then, we’ll answer some of your most frequently asked questions and highlight some of the most significant benefits of making this eco-friendly switch.

These Are the Best Reusable Plastic Wraps 

1. Bee’s Wrap and Bee’s Wrap Roll
2. Public Goods Reusable Food Storage Wraps
3. Abeego Beeswax Wraps
4. Navega Bees Wax Food Wraps
5. Lily Bee Wrap Beeswax Wrap

We’ve made selecting a plastic wrap alternative product easy. Here is a rundown of our five favorites. We’ll cover the materials used to make these beeswax food wraps, how they stand up to use over time, and what buying options you have as a consumer. We’ll also discuss any downsides to each particular brand and some information about the companies themselves.

Bee’s Wrap and Bee’s Wrap Roll

Bee’s Wrap brand of reusable food wrap is one of the best beeswax food wraps on the market. It’s great for all kinds of tasks, including wrapping up fruits and other produce such as oranges and avocados. It’s also perfect for placing on top of bowls or plates, wrapping cheese or bread, and much more. 

Bee’s Wrap makes a wide array of products as well. They make various three-packs for different food types and meal packs, such as the lunch pack, perfect for wrapping all of your lunch foods. They also make bags and rolls of the wrap so you can cut and customize them to suit your needs. You can choose from several different prints and patterns, from very basic to quite decorative.

Bee’s Wrap makes its products from beeswax, organic cotton, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin. These materials aid in food preservation, and everything Bee’s Wrap uses is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard. They’re also very bee-friendly; the hives are sustainable, and the bees are cared for well. 

Bee’s Wrap is a certified B Corporation (the only one on this list) and partners with 1% for the Planet, Rozalia Project, and The Bee Cause. Finally, all of the items used in their packaging are recyclable or biodegradable. They are sustainable from beginning to end.

You can purchase Bee’s Wrap online at Grove Collaborative, REI, and other retailers, as well as in-person at natural food stores, local hardware stores, and even gift shops and bookstores that are also committed to making sustainable changes. 

The downside to using Bee’s Wrap is that it can be challenging to clean, though that is true of most brands of beeswax food wrap. You’ll need to scrub off stuck-on food, and it stains relatively easily.  

Public Goods Reusable Food Storage Wraps

Public Goods makes a wide array of sustainable products, including hair products, beauty items, foods, household cleaners, and much more. They also make sustainable food wraps from beeswax, which is surprisingly fun to use, too. You simply use the heat from your hands to soften the wraps and adhere them to foods or plates and bowls.

Like Bee’s Wrap’s products, Public Goods makes its beeswax foods wraps from beeswax, cotton, tree resin, and plant oils. There are no traces of harmful chemicals for either your family or the earth.

Public Goods’ wraps are entirely biodegradable, non-toxic and all-natural, and eco-friendly. They come in packs of three: one small, one medium, and one large.

As with Bee’s Wrap, Public Goods beeswax wrap can sometimes be challenging to clean and may stain, although usually, it is effortless to use it again and again. The other downside to their beeswax food wrap is that it is made in China rather than the United States.

Public Goods offers a membership program for an annual fee which significantly cuts down on the costs of their products (remember, they make a lot of other sustainable items), and they offer a student discount. To make you feel even better about becoming a member, they plant a tree for every person who buys a membership.

Abeego Beeswax Wraps

Unlike some of the other brands on this list, Abeego only makes beeswax food wraps; it’s their whole business, so you know they’re committed to the best possible quality. It is also one of the most popular brands of beeswax wraps on the market, and it’s easy to see why.

Abeego is very vocal about their standards, and they have developed five requirements for all of their food wrap products:

1. Everything must be edible.
2. Everything must be 100% plastic-free.
3. Everything must be in its natural state and completely natural as well.
4. Everything must be a natural preservative.
5. All materials must be FDA-approved as food safe.

Their food wraps come in sizes small, medium, large, and giant. They sell them in variety packs and curated gift sets for families, bakers, entertainers, and more. All of their packaging materials are also biodegradable and plastic-free. 

Abeego also makes firestarters and encourages consumers to use their beeswax food wraps as kindling for fires when they are no longer usable for food storage purposes. They last for about a year, and you will know when you need to replace them, as they will no longer be sticky or adhere easily to foods and containers.

Finally, Abeego’s website also has a very handy How To Use page for tips and tricks for getting the most out of your reusable food wrap, as well as tips for keeping it clean and prolonging its life. Be sure to check it out regardless of which brand you buy.

Navega Bees Wax Food Wrap

Navega makes a superior beeswax food wrap roll. Rolls are a fantastic option because you can customize the size of the pieces according to your needs at the moment and then reuse them afterward. The rolls are also very reasonably priced; making Navega a viable option for retailers and other businesses trying to make sustainable swaps that don’t break the bank.

Navega’s food wraps are entirely biodegradable and sustainable. They’re made from organic cotton, harvested beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin, much like most others on this list. They help keep food fresh longer and cut down on food waste as well as plastic waste.

One thing that makes Navega so unique is that their wraps are completely odorless. They made this important change in response to customer feedback. An unpleasant odor is one of their consumers’ least favorite aspects of switching to beeswax food wrap instead of traditional plastic.

Be sure to store Navega in a cool, dark place, as heat of any kind will activate the clinging properties and may ruin your roll. Do not use Navega wrap with raw meat.

Lily Bee Wrap Beeswax Wrap

Lily Bee’s beeswax food wrap is one of the best on the market for use with food containers. Lily Bee is a New Zealand-based company that makes all of its products there. They sell on Amazon, so it’s possible to get their reusable plastic wrap alternatives in the United States as well.

Lily Bee makes their wraps from 100% cotton, tree resin, and beeswax. Instead of jojoba oil, though, they use coconut oil, making them unique from the others on our list. Still, they are completely natural, biodegradable, and zero-waste. 

These beeswax wraps also come in adorable prints, which makes them great gifts. They last for a year (365 uses), and Lily Bee also offers a 100% money-back guarantee. 

Now that we’ve covered our favorite brands of reusable plastic wrap and sustainable food wraps, let’s look at some more questions you may have about how you can use them and why you should make the switch.

Can Beeswax Food Wraps Be Reused?

Part of the beauty of beeswax food wrap is that it is a type of reusable food wrap. That means that you can clean it (see below), dry it, and used it over and over again. 

That said, it doesn’t last forever. Depending on how often you use it, you may need to replace your beeswax food wrap every year or so. Some companies are more specific about the life of their wraps, but most need to be replaced annually. 

All of the brands on this list are biodegradable or compostable, though, so you aren’t causing additional damage to the earth when you throw them away. 

How Do You Clean Beeswax Food Wraps?

You cannot put beeswax food wraps in the dishwasher (the water in it gets too hot), but they are still easy to clean. Just hand wash in cold water with gentle, alcohol-free soap, in much the same way that you’d hand wash a fine China plate. Allow it to dry completely before reusing it. Be sure not to use hot or even warm water.

Sometimes, because of the materials used to make it, beeswax food wrap can be difficult to clean and even stain. If it makes prolonged contact with food, some of the food might stick. Again, just use a gentle soap to remove, and don’t worry too much about the staining: it isn’t harmful in any way.

How Does Using Reusable Food Wraps Help the Environment?

Sustainable food wraps such as beeswax wraps are very beneficial for the environment in a few different ways. The first is obvious: it gives you the ability to significantly cut back on the amount of plastic you use. According to National Geographic, there are several ways that plastic hurts the earth. Plastic waste is one of the most acute crises facing the planet right now. 

It is also worth noting that beeswax wrap can’t wholly replace plastic wrap. There are some tasks for which plastic is necessary. One of the biggest uses is in the freezer. Beeswax wraps don’t stand up well in the freezer, so you’ll still need plastic to wrap and freeze raw meat and other items.

That said, protecting the planet is about progress, not perfection. Using beeswax for other purposes when you’d typically use plastic wrap is one small change that can make a big difference.

It isn’t just about reducing plastic, either; beeswax food wrap is helpful in other ways. Beeswax acts as a natural preservative. It allows air to circulate the food, which in turn helps it last longer. That helps you cut down on food waste, which is also an important step to reduce your carbon footprint and help the earth.

What is more, beeswax wrap is entirely compostable and biodegradable since it is made from natural materials and not synthetics (like plastic). That way, when you do have to throw it away, you’re not doing nearly as much damage to the earth. It’s good for everyone!

Another benefit of using reusable plastic wrap alternatives is the financial savings. Indeed, plastic wrap isn’t expensive, but every penny adds up over time! In addition, you’ll be spending less money with companies that are not doing their part for the earth. All of the companies on this list are responsible and take extra steps to protect the environment.

Final Thoughts

It’s up to all of us to do our part to protect the environment. Making small changes in our day-to-day lives has the potential to add up to an enormous impact. Utilizing reusable alternatives to plastic wrap is one of those ways. 

Even though beeswax food wrap can’t wholly replace plastic, it makes a huge difference. Any time we can reduce the amount of plastic that goes into landfills (or worse, the ocean) makes a difference. Use this handy guide to find the best one for your home.